With iOS Dominating the Japanese Smartphone Market, Apple Search Ads is a Leading Choice for App Marketers

Across the globe, people are interacting more and more with the internet as they shelter-in-place and quarantine.

In Japan, the average time spent per day with internet-connected devices has risen from 2 hours and 46 minutes in 2018 to just over 3 hours in 2020. That number is expected to rise to 3 hours and 16 minutes by 2022.

More than half of that time is with mobile devices—and the share of mobile vs desktop/laptops is steadily increasing. 

As more of the Japanese population spends time on mobile apps, app advertising is becoming a more important channel for marketers.

Both paid search ads and organic search optimization are needed for apps to be discovered

Getting to the top of the app store rankings is incredibly valuable for apps to acquire new users. But, the road to that opportunity requires app makers to build an audience on their own before the app stores can list them high on those charts.

One way that app marketers have found success to build their audience is to target high rankings on the app search engines and studies have shown that roughly half of new app downloads are directly a result of searching in app stores. A new form of search engine optimization (SEO) has sprung up to capitalize on this consumer behavior called app search optimization (ASO). Similar to the way that SEO works on standard search engines, ASO looks to improve every factor of the way that app stores ranking apps based on keyword searches. Some of those known variables include the app title and description, but also the level of user ratings and keywords that appear in user comments/reviews are just a few. Other ranking factors include the number of downloads and shares an app receives. 

Just as ASO has parallels to SEO, app search advertising plays the role in the app world that search advertising does on the regular web. Marketers have learned over time that a combination of organic search optimization plus paid search ads is the best way to be found. For newer apps that have yet to achieve high organic rankings, app search advertising can ensure that they appear on the app search results pages while they build up an organic presence. 

As with paid search on the standard web, app search advertising has options and settings for marketers to finely tune to get the best ROI. And because these ads appear above the organic app results on both desktop and mobile, they can be a way for challenger apps to instantly leapfrog category leaders and give their apps a chance to be installed. Marketers can even bid on competitor app names and steal thunder away from their rivals. 

With iOs big in Japan, Apple Search Ads is a leading choice for Japanese app marketers

According to StatCounter.com, in May 2020, 63.4% of Japanese smartphone users are on iPhones while 35.5% are on Android. 

There have been many articles written about why the iPhone has been the most popular smartphone in Japan, but for today’s app marketers, it’s less about the history of its popularity and more about capitalizing on today’s opportunity.

It’s not hard to understand why Apple Search Ads are such an important marketing opportunity in Japan based on the following performance numbers (globally):

• 70% of App Store visitors use search to find apps
• 65% of downloads occur directly after a search on the App Store
• 50% – Apple Search Ads’ average conversion rate

Interested in running a powerful Apple Search Ads program?

Skai, a global leader in marketing technology has supported Apple Search Ads in Japan since its launch in March 2019—filling the void for sophisticated campaign management that is critical for mobile app advertisers in the country. Bringing experience from its other global markets (including the US & EMEA) to Japan, Skai Apps is the all-in-one mobile advertising platform, designed for app marketers to reach their best customers, drive the install & continue user app engagement across all of the publishers that matter.

Yair Poplawski, Managing Director of Skai APJ states: “Japan is one of Apple Search Ads strongest global markets – and Skai’s fourth-biggest spending region – making Skai Apps unrivaled campaign creation, management and optimization capabilities critically important for Apple Search Ads advertisers in Japan.”

For more information about how Skai can support your mobile app advertising, contact us.

Learn More About Skai Apps